


side to side

by andbreatheme



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Additional K-Pop Cameos, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Dance, Anal Sex, Bottom Osaki Shotaro, Dance Team Rivalry, Eventual Smut, First Time, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, NCT U, Nature Ensemble, Strangers to Lovers, Team as Family, Threesome - F/M/M, Top Jung Sungchan, Virgin! Shotaro, nct - Freeform, sungtaro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:15:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29373687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andbreatheme/pseuds/andbreatheme
Summary: Small beeps could be heard around the classroom, mobile devices like phones and tablets pinging with notifications.  There was a low mumble from the class as they quickly checked their devices, much to the disdain of their professor.  The low hum turned into excited chatter that further confused Shotaro.“What’s going on?”  He curiously asked, leaning closer to Donghyuck’s seat.“Alumni royalty has been spotted on campus,” Donghyuck quietly whispered.  While most of the students seemed excited at this news that was spreading like wildfire, his roommate looked like he had seen a ghost.  His tan face was uncharacteristically pale and there was a small frown tugging at his lips while his eyebrows furrowed.orThe dance university tiktok challenge AU no one asked for!  Featuring Sungtaro and too many cameos.
Relationships: Jung Sungchan & Osaki Shotaro, Jung Sungchan/Osaki Shotaro
Comments: 14
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A story spawned from watching way too many dance practice videos from the NCT 2020 promos and my best friend showing me Shotaro's TikTok compilation. It was a brain worm that I wanted to get out onto a google doc. I don't plan on this fic being very long, but I still have had fun so far with what I've written.
> 
> JUST A NOTE, I do not dance professionally. I used to be in hip hop dance classes when I was a teenager (very amateurly at a local center) and I took two years of a mix of ballet, modern, jazz, and choreo in high school for gym. That being said - I am NO expert on technical terms - please give me some leeway. Also, I did the bare minimum research on New York and Juilliard. So if there are inaccuracies, I am sorry. While the setting is part of the story, I hope any mistakes won't take away from the main story. Ages are also completely screwed with to fit my AU - Sungchan is the oldest of my characters while Shotaro is the youngest. 
> 
> Title from Ariana Grande's song of the same name. Hope you guys enjoy. This is a work of complete fiction - if I use cameos that paint certain characters in a certain way, I promise I only used cameos of artists I really enjoy. No harm is meant. Comments make me feel extra happy. Also feel free to talk on twitter or on curious cat if you'd rather stay anonymous ( I get it; I do it, too).
> 
> [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/andbreatheme)/[twt](https://twitter.com/andbreatheme1)

The polished, wooden floorboards beneath Shotaro’s sneakers shook with the bass from the speakers set up in the four corners of the practice studio they had for the afternoon. He could feel his pulse pick up in tempo, almost matching the pace of the song he was currently dancing to. Sweat was dripping down from the tips of his damp bangs, sliding down his face, trailing down his neck - his sweat shirt was living up to its namesake, absorbing the sweat that had gathered on his lower back and neck as he continuously worked his body.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Chanmi shouted. 

In a hurry, Saerok bent down, picking up the discarded remote to cut off the loud music. Shotaro’s ears were still ringing from the elevated volume of the song they had been dancing to for what felt like hours now. His breath was coming out in harsh pants, one sweater paw coming up to sop up the sweat beading on his forehead.

“I feel like we’re all off a half beat or something,” Chanmi sighed, her thin eyebrows narrowing as she stared at her reflection in the ceiling-to-floor length mirror in front of them. “I think we should take it from the top.”

Donghyuck dared to let out an aggravated groan from next to Shotaro, his head tilted back as he tiredly cried out. Chanmi’s eyes narrowed.

“What?” She challenged him. “Do you think Vibe Check is ready for our performance at Chenle's house party next week?”

Donghyuck met her gaze in the mirror, but clenched his jaw to keep whatever sharp remark he had inside. Donghyuck was one of Shotaro’s best friends and roommate - the one who had introduced him to the rest of team Vibe Check that was collectively sweating in the practice room this afternoon - but even Shotaro knew that one of Donghyuck’s major flaws was his vicious tongue. His words were sharp enough to cut into someone beyond any sort of repair or get him into some pretty dangerous situations when he underestimated whom he was carelessly slicing into. Shotaro was thankful he chose to not take the bait of Chanmi’s quip.

“If no one has any complaints,” Chanmi grumbled. “Let’s go again. From the top. Five, six, seven, and - “

𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥

They were dismissed for the night, Chanmi still in a sour mood when she cut practice. Saerok was quickly trailing after her, trying to placate their team captain with kind words as they quickly exited the studio. The departure of the two girls left Donghyuck, Kino, and Shotaro left to gather their bags.

“Hey, are you okay?” Shotaro carefully asked as they grabbed their belongings. When Donghyuck remained silent, stonily grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder, Shotaro was worried that he had overstepped his boundaries. Instead, Donghyuck just let out a small sigh.

“She’s just being such a bitch lately,” he explained, watching as Kino bent to tie one of his shoelaces that had come loose during their practice.

Shotaro frowned. While Donghyuck's words would have earned him a slap if Chanmi would have heard, he was sort of right - in his own Donghyuck sort of way. Their captain had been extra irritable as of late and it was starting to bleed into practice.

“She’s just stressed because she has an audition for a dance group coming up soon that she’s nervous about,” Kino spoke up, standing to his full height. He ran a hand through his blonde and indigo hair, pushing the sweat-damp strands up and out of his eyes. “You know she didn’t get into the one she really wanted right before Christmas break. She was pretty shattered after that.”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes as they collectively headed out of the small practice room and into the hallway of the rental studio building.

“Well she’s making me tense,” he grumbled. “You know how much aggressive sex Mark and I have been having as a result?”

“Don’t want to hear about that,” Shotaro said with a grimace, holding a hand up for Donghyuck to stop. “I’m subjected to air pods almost every night. I hear more than I need to already.”

While Mark Lee was a nice guy and a pretty good match for Donghyuck, Shotaro didn’t particularly care to hear his roommate desperately beg for cock or the needy whines of  _ “fuck, Mark - harder, yes!”  _ that drifted past paper thin walls. It was awkward for a multitude of reasons. Reason one: he didn’t care to hear what the sex noises sounded like between his friend and his boyfriend. Reason two: it kept him up most nights. Reason three: he was straight (mostly) - there was unfortunately nothing arousing about hearing another guy beg to be bred at two a.m. And reason four: it made Shotaro  _ painfully  _ aware of the fact that he was a college virgin. Those were as rare as a unicorn, apparently, maybe even more so. 

It wasn’t that he was _saving himself_ for any specific reason. He had never met a girl he really liked enough to go the extra mile with back home in Japan and after being accepted to Juilliard just after he had graduated high school, he had more pressing things to worry about - like learning English better as fast as he possibly could before classes started. He knew the basics before coming - it wasn’t uncommon in Japan, but he still had difficulty accurately expressing what he felt as accurately in English as he did in his mother tongue. After that hurdle, his coursework was pretty hefty. Dance majors didn’t have much time to do anything other than dance. All day. It made it hard to meet girls or experiment with guys.

Kino snickered at Donghyuck’s words. “I  _ doubt  _ Mark minds getting the life fucked out of him....or vice-versa,” he lamented.

“He hasn’t complained, but sometimes he just looks...concerned. Or scared. You know, I’m not sure what emotion he’s actually trying to convey,” Donghyuck thoughtfully responded. “Anyways, I’m on edge lately because she’s drilling this routine into the ground.” 

The New York air was still chilly with the last remnants of winter still present in the city as they exited the building. Half-melted snow was sitting in sad piles across the partially dead, muddy grass they passed. Normally in this weather Shotaro would be bundled up, but tonight his sweaty body welcomed the cold air. His coat hung over his arm, unused.

“Yeah, she’s been extra... _ intense  _ lately,” Shotaro carefully agreed. “I mean, she called you out earlier and it’s  _ your choreo,  _ Kino.”

Kino shrugged. 

“I get it,” he simply commented. “She just wants this to be perfect. We have a good reputation around campus and she just wants to keep it that way.”

Kino was their group’s main choreographer and sometimes a perfectionist himself when it came to dance. He still had two years remaining at Juilliard until graduation. While his work ethic was rigid, he was generally pretty agreeable personality-wise. Shotaro felt Kino’s attitude balanced out the group pretty well. He was the peacemaker amidst two strong attitudes (read: Donghyuck and Chanmi) and two meeker personalities (read: Saerok and Shotaro). He was the calm in the eye of the storm - afraid of no one, but in a non-threatening sort of way.

“Well maybe after her audition she’ll chill out,” Donghyuck mumbled. Shotaro hoped he was right. Chanmi was starting to burn him out, too. There were only so many times he could listen to the same mix of Waka Flocka Flame, Megan Thee Stallion, and Trey Songz before he got a headache. Some of his nightmares were haunted by the soundtrack to dance practice. 

“Maybe,” Kino optimistically agreed as they reached a street corner. “Either way, I’ll catch you guys later. I’m meeting up with Yanan at his place tonight.”

Yanan was Kino’s boyfriend, a exchange student from China. While he and Shotaro had different mother tongues, they had bonded when they first met over the difficulties of going to school so far away from home. He was a music major with an emphasis on education. He was hoping to teach choir or vocal lessons.

“See you later,” Shotaro said with a tiny wave. “Tell Yanan I said hi.”

“See you,” Donghyuck also stated. Kino gave a little salute before heading off down the sidewalk while Donghyuck and Shotaro waited for the streetlight to turn green before crossing.

“C’mon, cheer up,” Shotaro urged while Donghyuck continued to stew in his frustrations. “You know, we still have strawberry ice cream in the freezer.”

Donghyuck’s bottom lip wobbled before he let out a frustrated noise.

“My diet - ,” he mournfully complained.

“ - will be fine with how many calories you burned during Chanmi’s wrath,” Shotaro supplied. “See? I knew there was a silver lining.” Donghyuck grimaced, his nose scrunching up.

“You eternal optimist,” he scoffed. “Stop it. It’s gross.”

Shotaro could only laugh, slinging a friendly arm around his roommate’s shoulders as the light changed, giving them the okay to cross.

“One of us has to be,” he quipped, smiling brightly. Donghyuck couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his sour expression.

“You’re stupid,” he commented. “A stupid, cute otter. I hate you.”

His words held no heat, Shotaro knew. He tugged Donghyuck closer to him as they walked.

“Yep,” he easily agreed. “And you’re so lucky to have me in your life. Now let’s hurry. I want that ice cream before bed.”

𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥

Kneeling down low to the ground, Shotaro fiddled with his phone. He was trying to set it up for filming on this cheap tripod Donghyuck had helped him buy off of amazon. Before, he would just prop his phone up against a precariously stacked pile of manga novels or tissue boxes, but Donghyuck had put a quick stop to that.

_ "You have over one hundred thousand followers," Donghyuck had tsked when he caught Shotaro balancing his phone against a toilet paper roll in their living room _ .

_ "So?" Shotaro had asked. He was a college student - he was being thrifty and inventive. He was quite proud of his skill of using household items for his TikTok set-up. _

_ "So," Donghyuck drawled. "You need to do better. None of this wobbly stuff - we're ordering you a tripod." _

_ "Hyuck," Shotaro protested with a pout. "I don't need anything fancy. It's not like this is my career or anything. I just dance and people like it." _

_ Narrowing his eyes, Donghyuck crossed his arms in front of his chest. He gave Shotaro an unimpressed look. _

_ "You're a fantastic dancer - you're a Juilliard student!" He rolled his eyes. "Market yourself better! Starting with a tripod." _

After that, it was no longer Shotaro's choice - Donghyuck had tapped on his phone for a total of four minutes, ending the spectacle with a quick "It'll be here tomorrow. You're welcome" before locking himself in his room.

While it was a nice gesture _...sort of... _ Donghyuck never taught him how to properly use the contraption. It seemed more hassle than it was worth, the English directions not helping when his native tongue was Japanese. He knew how to speak fairly well in English, but his reading skills needed some work.

Shotaro's tongue poked out as he tried to find a good angle that he could use while still fitting most of his body into the shot. There was a new TikTok challenge he wanted to try out for fun; something called the "Drop it on my Car" challenge. It was short and sweet and easy enough that he was able to come up with his own spin on the trending routine in a matter of minutes.

With midterms and spring break just around the corner, he had been neglecting his TikTok account in favor of studying. He wanted to at least toss up something quick so his followers didn't think he was dead. Maybe over spring break he would have more time to put up a more complicated, dedicated choreo, but for right now, a quick challenge would have to suffice.

Just as he pressed play, the door to the apartment opened. Shotaro quickly cut the music, turning to look at his interruption. It was Donghyuck and Mark, a brown takeout bag dangling from Mark's hand.

"Hey Taro!" He greeted, bright smile on his face. "We brought leftovers!"

Honestly, Shotaro could never be mad at his roommate's boyfriend. He was always so friendly and smiley - sometimes the complete juxtaposition to Donghyuck.

"Oh, nice," Shotaro commented, his TikTok forgotten now that food had been mentioned. "From where?"

"Olive Garden," Donghyuck proudly answered. He was smugly smiling until he slowly frowned, hand coming to rest on his belly. "Definitely ate way too many carbs."

"Worth it," Mark decided. He smiled at Shotaro. "We swiped extra breadsticks."

Normally Shotaro had a no-bread after sundown rule, but it wouldn't kill him to break it for one night. He was a dance major - it's not like he wouldn't just burn the carbs off eventually.

"Were you in the middle of something?" Donghyuck asked, standing on tiptoes to peer over Shotaro's shoulder. Mark also followed his gaze, big eyes adorably blinking.

"It was just a TikTok thing," he shrugged before standing and heading over to the couple. "It can wait."

Mark nodded before offering the bag up. Before Shotaro could grab it, Donghyuck swiped it, holding it high above his head. Shotaro frowned, lips turned down in a petulant pout.

"What?" He asked.

"Do your TikTok first," Donghyuck advised. "Otherwise you'll look bloated loaded up on fake Italian."

"I'm wearing sweatpants and a hoodie," Shotaro deadpanned, trying to reach up to grab the dangling takeout bag. "I hardly think it will matter."

"The camera adds ten pounds!" Donghyuck lamented.

"The camera - Hyuck, it's my phone!" Shotaro protested.

Mark's eyes darted between the two boys before he sadly shook his head. "Dance majors…" he muttered. "You are all a special breed."

"And you're a music major," Donghyuck quipped. "You're a nerd."

"You love me anyways," Mark pointed out with a sweet smile. Donghyuck seemed to melt at his words, allowing Shotaro to jump up and snatch the bag.

"Hey," Donghyuck whined, head whipping back to look at Shotaro. "What's gotten into you! Such a bad, disobedient otter."

"Um," Mark commented as Shotaro scurried off to the kitchen, putting the island between them. "Can otters  _ be  _ domesticated?"

Donghyuck sighed while Shotaro hungrily popped a breadstick into his mouth. The bread was so soft and buttery. Whatever salt and oil mixture they used was so heavenly.

"I  _ thought  _ ours was, but I see I stand corrected," Donghyuck said, a sour frown on his face. "Well, whatever. I tried." He grabbed Mark's hand, tugging him in the direction of his bedroom. "Come cuddle me and tell me I'm pretty."

"Does he have a choice?" Shotaro asked as he watched Donghyuck tug Mark into his room.

"Not really," Donghyuck sweetly replied before shutting his door behind them. 

Shotaro smiled; they really were a cute couple. Aside from the sometimes loud sex they had, he enjoyed when Mark was around. He seemed to make Hyuck a generally more sweet person. If his friends were happy, then Shotaro was happy. 

Although, free pasta and breadsticks also made him just as happy.

𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥

It was Tuesday - a day Shotaro didn’t particularly care for. While it still beat the absolute  _ war  _ that Monday brought upon him (by a hair), it was still a tiring day. He started his day with Music History II - a mandatory course for anyone going into the musical arts. While he was absolutely a lover of the art of dance, the class was a bit... _ dry. _ Shotaro enjoyed working his body, honing the instrument;  _ his  _ instrument. The things he could express with his body beat anything his mouth or a pen held in his hand could ever articulate. In comparison to his practical classes, the two hour lecture just seemed like a waste.

Shotaro methodically tapped his pen against the thick pad of paper his spiral notebook provided while his professor droned on about some famous composer of the Romantic era. His mind was elsewhere, wondering what he was going to wear for his midterm for his Contemporary Partnering class. He would need to text his partner, Mengyu, to coordinate - 

There was a loud gasp from his right that quickly tugged him out of his afternoon planning. He turned, eyebrows furrowed in silent question. The gasp had come from Donghyuck. He was staring at his phone that he was trying to poorly hide behind his laptop, mouth open in an “o” of surprise and his eyes large. He had the attention of not only Shotaro, but the rest of their class - including their professor.

“Mr. Lee,” Professor McGrath declared. “Is there something you find particularly exciting about Chopin that you would like to share?”

Before Donghyuck could fumble for an answer, small beeps could be heard around the classroom, mobile devices like phones and tablets pinging with notifications. There was a low mumble from the class as they quickly checked their devices, much to the disdain of their professor. The low hum turned into excited chatter that further confused Shotaro.

“What’s going on?” He curiously asked, leaning closer to Donghyuck’s seat.

“Alumni royalty has been spotted on campus,” Donghyuck quietly whispered. While most of the students seemed excited at this news that was spreading like wildfire, his roommate looked like he had seen a ghost. His tan face was uncharacteristically pale and there was a small frown tugging at his lips while his eyebrows furrowed.

“Uh…?” Shotaro unintelligently trailed off, now confused  _ and  _ concerned. Donghyuck was a self-proclaimed “bad bitch” - he feared no one. And really, what did a demon child like Donghyuck Lee need to fear?

Donghyuck looked ready to explain when Professor McGrath quickly shut the class up by noisily smacking his pointer against the whiteboard. The sharp noise caused a stunned hush to fall over the classroom.

Professor McGrath cleared his throat. “Now, as I was saying, Chopin was a child prodigy…”

Further explanation would have to wait.  _ ‘Alumni royalty, huh?’  _ Shotaro thought, his fingers back to twirling his pen. He paused only to begin drawing a crown near the top right margin of his notes, near the date he routinely labeled his notes with.  _ ‘What sort of royalty did a post-graduate hold?’ _

𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥

“He’s back.”

The words were spoken by Kino during their lunch hour. He was glued to his phone in a fashion similar to Donghyuck. He seemed far less terrified than Donghyuck had initially been, more curious as his eyes were locked onto his phone screen.

“Who is ‘he’?” Shotaro asked, peeling back the lid to his instant noodles. White steam billowed from the small container, it’s scent heavy with savory beef (and probably way too much sodium). Kino looked up, eyes flicking from Shotaro to Donghyuck and then back to Shotaro.

“That would be Sungchan Jung,” he simply answered. Shotaro had heard that name before, somewhere. He couldn’t seem to quite pull the information from the recesses of his mind. Was that a TikToker? Maybe?

“Oh my god, how do you have no idea?” Donghyuck asked. His spooked reaction had long since vanished, replaced by his normal cocky indifference. Shotaro wasn’t sure it was an improvement.

“Oh, go easy on him,” Mark supplied. He had a block of free time from his classes on Tuesdays that he used to meet up with their small group for lunch. A large bite from the sandwich he held between his fingers was already missing. “Sungchan graduated just as Shotaro was enroling. It’s not like they ever had the chance to actually meet or anything.”

“Someone please just explain to me who this Sungchan is?” Shotaro complained, submerging his wooden chopsticks into the dark broth.

“Sungchan is one of the most recent success stories from the dance department of Juilliard,” Kino easily explained. “He has been working non-stop since he got scouted from a talent agency two years ago. He kinda does it all - music videos, back-up dancing for huge acts like Rihanna, a little bit of modeling, super successful TikToks,” he listed. “Really, he does it  _ all.” _

_ Ah-ha!  _ So he  _ did  _ have a TikTok.

“He’s a nice guy,” Kino added before taking a bite of his black bean burger.

“You  _ know  _ him?” Shotaro asked. Kino choked on his burger before giving him a concerned look. He wiped his lips before looking at Donghyuck.

“He’s serious?” He asked.

“I guess so,” Donghyuck sighed, turning to look at Shotaro. 

Shotaro’s hand paused where his chopsticks firmly held a pile of thick, udon noodles.

“Sungchan used to dance with us. He was a member of Vibe Check,” Donghyuck revealed. “You actually took his place when he graduated.”

The noodles sadly slipped back down into the cup of microwaved broth, but Shotaro paid it no mind. He didn’t know Sungchan, but he did remember auditioning for Vibe Check. While Donghyuck had shown nothing but enthusiasm and support (and a bit of manipulation) where Shotaro auditioning was concerned, he had no idea just how big the shoes he was going to be filling were. That brought up a whole new plethora of questions.

“If you’re all so close, why did you look like you had seen a ghost last period?” He asked.

“The fucker didn’t tell me before the school gossip site caught a snap of him,” Donghyuck huffed. “I haven’t really seen him since he graduated. We text a lot, but he’s been too busy to visit, even if the talent agency  _ is  _ in New York City.”

“Maybe he was trying to surprise you all,” Mark suggested before taking another large bite out of his sandwich.

“I hate surprises,” Donghyuck deadpanned. Mark shrugged.

“Yeah, that sounds like something Sungchan would do,” Kino said with a nod. “Either that or he didn’t want Chanmi to know.” Donghyuck let out a frustrated groan that caused Shotaro to become increasingly confused.

“What does Chanmi have to do with any of this?” He asked.

“It’s complicated,” Kino replied.

“No it’s not,” Donghyuck grumbled. “They used to fuck. Sometimes.”

Mark let out an uncomfortable cough, quickly grabbing for his juice while Shotaro simply stared at Donghyuck.  _ Oh.  _ Well, that sounded messy. 

“But...Chanmi is already so - “ he began.

“I  _ know,”  _ Donghyuck sighed. “Which is why I’m pissed he didn’t give any of us a heads-up. He’s front page worthy. There’s no way Chanmi hasn’t heard by now.”

“She’s going to either be worse at practice or better, depending,” Kino commented.

“Depending on…?” Shotaro asked. Kino leveled him with a stare.

“Whether or not they’re going to be hooking up again,” he slowly explained, as if it should be obvious. Maybe it should have been.

“Technically they never dated though,” Donghyuck reminded the group. “Maybe she just won’t care at all.”

Kino let out a disbelieving scoff.

𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥

Shotaro was quick to find out that Chanmi did, in fact, care.

Her focus was sharp at practice the next night. There was something in the way she danced that held just a little more ferocity than Shotaro was used to seeing from their dance captain. Her footwork was incredibly clean, she whipped her hair with the confidence of a pop star, and her body rolls were tantalizing. Shotaro was equal parts impressed and terrified.

"You eat your greens or something today?" Saerok asked as the music to their current mix for their routine faded, the next track starting up.

"No, I just...feel different," Chanmi mused, eyeing her sweaty reflection in the full length mirror. She smiled at what she saw, running a hand through her messy, long hair. "I don't know…"

Shotaro didn't miss the way Donghyuck and Kino exchanged a knowing look through the mirror.

"Did you hear Sungchan is back?" Donghyuck mildly asked, never one for subtlety. 

While everyone  _ should  _ have been accustomed to his brazen attitude, Chanmi's expression briefly revealed her surprise at such a blunt observation hidden in a question. Her pouty lips twitched before she schooled her expression into a look of indifference.

"I did," she confirmed. "It's the talk of the school right now. Kind of hard to miss."

Shotaro chose to remain silent, absorbing as much of this information as he could. Bringing in this Sungchan guy seemed to shake up the routine he had slowly grown accustomed to. He didn’t like change. At all.

"Have you seen him yet?" Donghyuck asked.

"Have you?" Chanmi shot back, her eyes slightly narrowed. Shotaro could practically feel the air crackle with the tension between two very strong personalities.

"No." Was all Donghyuck replied with, his jaw clenched with unspoken back-sass. Chanmi gave him a fake, sweet smile before turning back towards the mirror.

"Let's run it again," she said, getting into her starting position. Saerok quickly ran for the remote, hitting the back skip button to get back to their routine song. Shotaro nervously swallowed before getting into his position.

𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥

Their walk home that night was oddly quiet.

Donghyuck had his fists shoved into the front pocket of his hoodie as he trudged down the familiar route home with Shotaro and Kino. Even Kino's attempts at diffusing the tension with the latest campus gossip didn't seem to lighten his mood.

"I'll catch you guys later, I guess," Kino said when the three reached the intersection where their paths split. Donghyuck just grunted his acknowledgment of Kino's departure, eyes on the flurry of cars at this late hour.

_ 'Good luck,'  _ Kino mouthed to Shotaro before heading down the sidewalk.

Holding back the urge to shrink away, Shotaro stood next to his roommate.

"...do you want to talk about it?" He tentatively asked. Donghyuck let out a grumpy sigh.

"Not really?" He answered, eyes not leaving the street as they waited for the light to change.

It was silent for a blessed minute, nothing but the zooming of cars and the distant chatter of other city-dwellers as a soundtrack. Aside from the weird tension at dance practice and the funk Donghyuck was in, Shotaro thought it was actually quite a nice night. The dark sky was clear, the moon visible although small. It was never truly dark enough in the city to see the stars, however. That was one thing Shotaro missed about his home back in Japan.

"It's just...Sungchan was a best friend of mine," Donghyuck suddenly spoke. Shotaro turned to look at him. "He was my friend and he didn't tell me he was coming back. Did he...not want to see me? We text all the time...did he just forget about me?" The red lights overhead changed to green, prompting them to step across the painted stripes of the crosswalk. People bustled around them from both directions, unconcerned with their presence and focused on their own lives. That was New York - always running, running, running with no end in sight.

"Well, he didn't seek out Kino, Chanmi, or Saerok either," Shotaro supplied as they made it to the other side of the street. "It's only his first day. Maybe he's just been busy?"

"Am I an asshole for being upset?” Donghyuck questioned.

Normally his roommate had not a care in the world for the way he came off. Donghyuck could be brash, loud, harsh, sarcastic, bratty - he didn’t care what anyone thought. That was just how he was. For him to actually  _ ask  _ Shotaro if he was being unfair was very uncharacteristic of him.

“I don’t think so,” Shotaro honestly replied. He wasn’t the best option for an opinion on the matter, only having bits and pieces of the whole story in this situation. Still, he would give his honest opinion if asked. “But before you attack him, maybe just hear him out first. Maybe he has an explanation for his lack of warning.”

“He did just tour with Rihanna,” Donghyuck mumbled in a small voice. There was a tiny, pouty frown on his face as he mulled over their conversation.

Shotaro wasn’t sure what being a professional celebrity dancer was like. It was something all aspiring dancers dreamed of at some point, but few actually got to experience first-hand. Sungchan must have been extremely good to get to live the dream - and straight after graduation, too. That was almost too perfect of a scenario. 

If the rest of his team was close with Sungchan and hadn’t even seen him in roughly two years, he must have been super busy. Even all the way in New York - a whole  _ ocean  _ away from his mother - he still managed to talk to her once a week at least. He couldn’t imagine a life where he was too busy to even talk to those close to him. Sure, Donghyuck and Kino had both mentioned texting, but it wasn’t the same as quality time spent talking or facetiming.

As they reached their complex near campus, Shotaro did his best to remain upbeat - for Donghyuck’s sake. His friend would never ask for support, even if he needed it. Shotaro knew him well enough by now to realize that fact. It would be his job to just keep things light and gentle, something he was pretty gifted at.

“I think we have leftovers in the fridge,” Shotaro mentioned, amicably knocking his shoulder against Donghyuck. “Let’s be heathens and eat it in the living room.”

Donghyuck shot him a sly grin, something Shotaro was more than happy to see. “We’re rubbing off on you,” he warned as they ascended the stairs to their apartment. “Be careful, Taro.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's your name?" Making sure the last bit of his chin was dry, Shotaro looked up.
> 
> "It's Shotaro," he answered. "Shotaro Osaki."
> 
> Warm, brown eyes turned wide with surprise. Shotaro tilted his head curiously, wondering why his answer had caused such a look.
> 
> "I'm - "
> 
> "Sungchan!"
> 
> Donghyuck was throwing himself at the stranger's side in a tight hug, nearly knocking them both over with its force.
> 
> Sungchan.
> 
> Oh my god. This was the Sungchan he had just spit up in front of. Shotaro vowed to never go to another one of these stupid parties ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure anyone is looking for Sungtaro, but I'm going to try to see this to the end. I hope someone out there that wanted them in an AU of sorts is satisfied. I'm a huge fan of cameos and everyone mentioned in this fic is someone I genuinely adore - even if I write them as the antagonist. Just a reminder.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read if you choose to. I love hearing feedback so don't feel scared to leave a comment. I also have a twitter and a curious cat if you ever want to talk. I enjoy making friends :)
> 
> [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/andbreatheme)/[twt](https://twitter.com/andbreatheme1)

“Great news!” Donghyuck announced as he exited his bedroom. 

Shotaro looked up with bleary eyes from his bowl of Cheerios. It was early Wednesday morning - _ too _ early for whatever his roommate was plotting. Donghyuck usually waited until ten to start nefariously plotting whatever scheme was brewing in that evil genius brain of his but there was a first time for everything. Either way, Shotaro was not awake enough for whatever his roommate had in store.

“Why do those words always make me anxious when they come from you?” He mumbled, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

“Sounds like a personal problem,” Donghyuck said with a shrug as he made his way to their shared refrigerator. “Anyways, I have great news.”

Pulling out a tupperware container of egg bites, he made his way to the microwave. He patiently waited for Shotaro to take the bait; to ask what the great news was, but Shotaro strategically remained silent aside from slurping up his breakfast.

“Why are you so annoying?” Donghyuck huffed, a pout on his face.

“I literally didn’t say anything,” Shotaro pointed out.

“I know,” Donghyuck griped. “That’s the point. Whatever - I talked with Sungchan last night. Turns out he wasn’t ghosting me - I guess he said the trip was just a little unexpected.”

“Alright,” Shotaro nodded. “That’s...good, right?”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck agreed, retrieving his breakfast from the microwave when it beeped to signal it was finished. “It just seems a little odd. The talent agency is in New York…”

“I don’t see the issue,” Shotaro said as Donghyuck slid in beside him at the small kitchen table.

“I guess there’s not an issue,” Donghyuck carefully spoke before taking a bite out of one of the egg bites. He hissed, the temperature still too hot. “Fuck these things are like hellfire!”

_ ‘Perfect for the demon child,’  _ Shotaro thought with a smirk, hiding it behind his fingers as he lifted the spoon back up to his lips.

“I have a feeling I’m going to regret this,” he said after swallowing his spoonful. “But what makes you suspicious?”

“Sungchan is someone who was so busy working after graduation that he hasn’t had time to visit us for the past two years. But now he’s suddenly open?” Donghyuck explained. “Doesn’t that seem weird to you?”

“Not really,” Shotaro replied. “I mean, I don’t know the guy, but maybe he has a small break in between gigs. People do take breaks, you know?” Donghyuck leveled him with an unimpressed stare.

“Not professional dancers,” he stated. “You know we don’t stop while we’re in our prime. The younger we are, the better our chances are at securing jobs.”

While Donghyuck wasn’t wrong, Shotaro still didn’t see the big issue. This guy had a Bachelor’s from Juilliard, went on a world-wide tour with Rihanna, and had a successful TikTok according to his friends. He was probably burnt out. It wasn’t an unreasonable conclusion. Anyone would be exhausted with that sort of life right out of college and living in New York. Donghyuck was just paranoid.

They continued to eat their breakfast in companionable silence. Shotaro had  _ almost  _ convinced himself that his day could continue on as normal when Donghyuck spoke up again.

“I’m seeing him tonight.”

Looking at his friend’s face, Shotaro shrugged.

“Okay?” He said, standing up to empty the excess milk into the sink.

“Don’t you want to meet him?” Donghyuck prodded. Shotaro turned the faucet in, quickly rinsing off his bowl and spoon. Sungchan Jung - the one who had been in his shoes only two years ago. Did he want to meet him? He was enough of a deal for the campus gossip site to snap a picture and post it on their front page. As trivial as it would sound to an outsider, it was a pretty significant thing. Usually visits from accomplished orchestral musicians or actors straight off broadway made the news page. Sungchan was also friends with Shotaro’s friends - how bad of a guy could he be?

“Sure,” Shotaro decided, setting his dish into the dishwasher. “But you guys should catch up first. He came to see you guys, afterall. I don’t want to take up his time.”

“You do realize ‘you guys’ includes you too?” Donghyuck asked with a dramatic roll of his eyes. “You became one of us the minute Vibe Check chose you after your audition.”

It was reminders like this that made Shotaro question his decision to audition in the first place. It was like a brotherhood (or sisterhood where Chanmi and Saerok were concerned) that felt so oddly serious sometimes - despite their purely ironic team name. Everyone was loyal and somehow that feeling roped Shotaro into questionable situations. Was it so much to just want peace and quiet and honing his craft?

“”You’ll like him,” Donghyuck assured. “I promise. He’s pretty laid-back. Not like Kino laid-back, but just very...easy to get along with. It’s like no matter what the subject is, he seems to always have some sort of knowledge about it.”

“While he sounds too good to be true,” Shotaro began as he grabbed his school bag and dance bag. “We’re going to be late if you keep fawning over him.”

Quickly, Donghyuck popped his last egg bite into his mouth before hopping down from his stool. “I’m not  _ fawning  _ over him, Taro,” he corrected, grabbing his own bags for the day. “I’m just trying to assure you he’s not anyone to be afraid of.”

“Who’s afraid?” Shotaro scoffed as they headed out their front door.

“You,” Donghyuck answered, not missing a beat. “Of everything, actually.”

_ ‘Remember what Kino taught you,’  _ Shotaro mentally reminded himself.  _ ‘The more of a reaction you give him, the worse he gets. Just remain calm.’ _ Kino was honestly superhuman for voluntarily putting up with Donghyuck for the past three years. Two years was already proving to be exhausting and a test of patience.

𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥

After Modern II, Shotaro’s classes had ended for the day. He headed home to get a quick shower in and a headstart on reviewing for the last few finals he had before spring break officially began. Donghyuck wouldn’t be home for a bit, so he had the apartment completely to himself.

After showering and making a snack, Shotaro nestled up on the sofa. He was in his comfiest pair of pajamas, his stomach felt satisfied from peanut butter and an apple - he was ready to buckle down. 

Engrossed in his study materials, time had practically slipped out the window. The sun was beginning to set and Shotaro’s nose was still in a textbook. He gnawed on his mechanical pencil as he steadily read through the pages of his thick textbook for his Anatomy and Kinesiology course. It was a subject he actually fared well in so far. Science was something he understood - it was a universal subject. 

While originally the course had seemed daunting, it was proving to be quite useful as far as his work as a dancer. It was a lot of outside, independent study - memorizing bones and muscles and everything in between. All the reading paid off when he went to class and his professor would demonstrate how better to use and engage those muscles and it helped Shotaro push the limits of his body in a safe and knowledgeable atmosphere. It was quite interesting.

"Hey loser," Donghyuck cheerfully greeted as he entered their on-campus apartment. Shotaro looked up from his textbook, pencil still between his teeth. "Get dressed. We're going out."

With his tongue, Shotaro pushed the pencil out of his mouth. It dropped to the table with a clatter.

"Um...no?" He skeptically responded. "I'm studying." Donghyuck shot him an unimpressed look, hands coming to his hips.

"No," he defiantly argued. "It's the last Wednesday before spring break. You already know you’re going to ace the rest of your finals. Go be boring tomorrow. We're going to Johnny's place for a party."

Shotaro looked down to his comfortable black sweats and his beloved oversized Totoro shirt. He was comfy, dammit. He let out a protesting whine, trying his best to use his puppy dog eyes to get Donghyuck to leave him alone.

"Oh no you don't," Donghyuck warned, seeing right through Shotaro's plans. He casually pulled his shirt up and over his head, his tanned chest on display as he made his way across their living room and towards his bedroom. Shotaro's puppy dog eyes went flat as he took in how nice his roommate's body was. He was thick in all the right places, lean in others. While his tummy was soft, there was still muscle poking up from beneath the surface of his skin. And his shoulder blades were super nice - defined and strong: the shoulders of a dancer.

When Donghyuck's shirtless body slipped into his room and out of view, Shotaro shook his head. He was having some serious body envy. He felt small in comparison to his roommate and his physique. There was nothing wrong in admiring what he wished he could have himself, right?

"It's going to be fun.” He could hear Donghyuck shout from inside his bedroom. "The rest of the dance squad is coming, Mark is coming, Yanan is coming." 

"So you’re saying this is like every other party this year?" Shotaro called back, but stood up anyway. He might as well play along - once his roommate was set on something, he always got what he wanted in the end. Struggling was really just expending energy on prolonging the inevitable.

"No," Donghyuck disagreed as he entered the living room again, fully clothed. He still had on the same pair of skinny, dark wash jeans he had entered in, but his shirt was now a clean, off-white long sleeved top with a patterned, black denim jacket over. "Sungchan is going to be there, too. I'll properly introduce you."

"You don't have to do that," Shotaro was quick to say. He had yet to meet this enigma of a friend he had unknowingly replaced. What if everyone in Vibe Check acted like they missed him and wished he was still on their team? While Shotaro liked to think he was a good fit, something like that would shake his already fragile confidence. He didn't know if that was a good idea.

"It's really not that big of a deal…" Donghyuck drifted off, one eyebrow raised. "Why are you acting weird about this?"

"I'm not!" Shotaro argued, making his way to his bedroom to change out of his loungewear. "You and Kino talked up his accomplishments - I don't want to hold him back if he's here to relax and catch up with people he's actually here to see."

"Pfft, I told you: he’s here to see  _ us,  _ obviously," Donghyuck scoffed. "He's a very normal guy. You're treating him like a real celebrity or something."

"Isn't he, though?" Shotaro asked, quickly pulling his shirt up and off his body before diving into his closet.

"Not even," Donghyuck huffed. "He makes good money and works for some big names, but he's in the arts. You know how that goes."

The way he had said that last bit sounded bitter. Unfortunately Shotaro knew exactly what Donghyuck meant. Dancers typically didn't get the notoriety that other celebrities were granted. They were used as a pretty face or used to accentuate the  _ real  _ star. Unless they could sing or act or join a group where dancing was the focus, dancers tended to get lost in the shuffle as far as celebrity spotlight went. That was one of the main reasons why Shotaro did TikTok videos - with those, you had the chance to go viral if you were good and hopefully be able to get some sort of useful connections. Hell, his videos on TikTok caught the attention of Donghyuck AND Chanmi. It was what helped him secure his spot on their team in the first place.

"I stand by what I said this morning; I think you'll like him," Donghyuck continued from the living room as Shotaro shimmied out of his sweatpants and into a pair of fashionable distressed, dark skinny jeans. "You like pretty much everyone."

While Shotaro sort of resented that statement, it was a bit true. He did his best to just smile and try to do more listening than talking to figure other people out. People liked to talk about themselves - it was easy to read someone after a few strategic questions. After that, it was simple to navigate a pleasant conversation with most people. That wasn’t the issue with Sungchan - he wasn’t just another normal person; he was a success story and a close friend of his dance team. It was almost vital for Sungchan to approve of him. That’s what scared him.

"If he's a friend of you all, I'm sure I'll like him just fine," Shotaro agreed, stepping out of his bedroom and back into the living room. Donghyuck eyed him up and down, appraising his outfit choice. He shrugged.

"I mean...you look cute," he commented. Shotaro pouted.

"What's wrong with cute?" He asked, genuinely confused. Donghyuck looked like he was trying to hide a smile, eyes glittering with mirth.

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "You just look so... _ corruptible _ . Might attract the wrong kind of attention. Or the right - depending on what you're into."

He shot Shotaro a wink, causing Shotaro to only sputter in response.

"I'm not looking for  _ any  _ attention," he complained, grabbing his phone and his wallet and shoving them into his too-tight pockets. "And I'm not  _ that  _ innocent."

Donghyuck stared Shotaro down, hands on his hips. Shotaro swallowed, not liking whatever sass was about to erupt past his friend’s lips.

"Aren't you, though?" He teased. "Aren't you still a vi - " 

Shotaro's eyes widened as he lunged forwards, slapping a hand over Donghyuck's lips. Donghyuck's eyes narrowed as he victoriously smiled from beneath Shotaro's hand.

"Oh, Hyuck!" Shotaro wailed as he felt something warm and wet press against his palm. "Gross!" He tore his hand away from Donghyuck's mouth, wiping his friend's saliva on the thigh of his pants. Donghyuck cackled with glee.

"Taro," he promised. "I'm going to get you laid one of these days."

"No thanks," Shotaro muttered. "I'm good."

The way Donghyuck's grin didn't falter despite his rejection made Shotaro nervous.

𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥

Johnny Seo was a friend of Mark's, also in the music program but leaning more towards composition with digital programming. Shotaro wasn't  _ really  _ sure what the music or drama kids did - he was only concerned with dance.

Johnny had a small place not far from the campus. It was a small apartment he shared with his boyfriend Jaehyun. They both liked to party. While nothing ever got  _ too  _ out of hand at their place, it still was somewhere Shotaro didn't really care to be at. Too many people in too tight of quarters.

"You're thinking too loud," Donghyuck grumbled as they ascended the stairs to Johnny and Jaehyun's apartment. Shotaro scoffed.

"What does that even mean?" He asked. Donghyuck lifted a hand to cup around his ear, eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Huh?" He asked. "I can't hear you over how loud your thoughts are!"

"You're so annoying," Shotaro sighed as Donghyuck smiled.

"C'mon," he said, leading Shotaro through the unlocked front door. "Let me set you up with some drinks and some dancing. Oh! And I still have to introduce you to Sungchan!"

The apartment was dimly lit aside from some floor lamps placed into the corners of the living room they stepped into. The music playing was loud, a mix of some current hip hop and pop. Bodies were packed tight, definitely against any sort of fire code. Some were dancing, some were talking - red plastic cups in their hands.

"I'm going to see if I can find Sungchan," Donghyucked yelled over the music. "Go...get a drink...or something."

Before Shotaro could properly protest at the idea of Donghyuck leaving him, his roommate was gone, darting through the throngs of college kids. He deeply sighed, resigning himself to flying solo until Donghyuck chose to find him again. That could be minutes. Or hours. With Donghyuck, there was never a solid guarantee.

Shotaro weaved through couplings of people loudly talking over the music coming from the tall speakers in the living area. He didn’t know how anyone could or would attempt to converse in such a loud room - wasn’t that what the kitchen and the backyard were for? Granted, spring in New York was still cold, it wasn’t something a coat and some gloves couldn't remedy.

After dodging a rowdy group playing a highly competitive match of beer pong, Shotaro found refuge in the kitchen. While the music was still loud, filtering in through the open archway, it was no longer at the point where his head was rattling.

The kitchen was, thankfully, saved from the dim mood lighting of the rest of the apartment. The walls were the typical off-white any apartment comes equipped with, tenants moving like revolving doors so no need for the hassle of painting. Johnny and Jaehyun’s kitchen was spacious, Shotaro always curious as to how two college students were able to score such a nice place. Donghyuck and himself were lucky they managed breakfast without bodily knocking into each other.

There were party-goers milling about, but nothing like the rooms he had already passed. The atmosphere was a little less intimidating, the wooden island stacked with mismatched bottles of liquor besides innocent-looking red plastic bowls full of chips, pretzels, cheese puffs - all of the typical party fanfare. 

Shotaro bypassed the island, eyes scanning the counters for something non-alcoholic. Aside from a few girls sitting on top of the counters gabbing, there was no sign of water or soda anywhere. 

With a disappointed frown, Shotaro's shoulders slumped. There was the faucet. Maybe he could just grab a cup and -

"Looking for something?"

Shotaro turned only to be met with a chest. Admittedly, it was a nice chest as far as chests went. The owner of said chest had on a casual white, long sleeve shirt that fit nicely on broad shoulders. 

Slowly, Shotaro peered up to spy a set of warm, brown eyes staring at him. A single thick, dark eyebrow was quirked up in amusement while a small smile tugged at the corners of his very pink lips.

"Uh…" Shotaro stalled, deciding if he should be more embarrassed that he looked so obviously out of place or that he had just spent a good few minutes admiring a stranger's chest like a complete weirdo. "I'm looking for something...non alcoholic?"

He probably seemed like such a loser. Who goes to a college party and searches for anything without liquor? Instead of any sort of ridicule, the tall stranger only smiled wider, expression softening.

"Ah," he said. "Always in the coolers."

He motioned for Shotaro to follow him behind the island where a few beat-up, mismatched coolers lay. With ease, the helpful, unfamiliar guy popped open one of the white lids. He was right. Inside were cans of all sorts of beverages - mostly beer, but some sodas thrown in a pile of mostly melted ice.

"What do you drink?" He asked. Shotaro took a quick look at the assortment.

"Sprite is fine," he decided, watching as the stranger pulled his long sleeve up before reaching in and grabbing a wet can. His arms were nice, too, Shotaro noticed. Slim but defined. He wondered if he was a musician of some sort? Maybe a violinist. Or maybe he was also in the dance department. If he was, Shotaro had never seen him before.

"Here," he offered the can to Shotaro before grabbing one for himself.

"Not into drinking?" Shotaro conversationally asked, popping the tab on his can with a hiss. No wonder he wasn’t judged on his earlier answer; apparently this guy wasn’t drinking either.

"Not on my first night back," the stranger answered as he opened his own can. "At least, not this early in the night."

First night back? What did that mean? Before Shotaro could ask, he found himself being given a thorough once-over. He thickly swallowed, cheeks feeling just a bit hot at being so openly appraised. This was unusual.

"Let me guess," the stranger drawled, eyes trailing back up to Shotaro's face. "A dancer?"

"What gave it away?" Shotaro asked. "My height?" That earned him a wry smile.

"Nah," the stranger replied. "Your thighs."

Shotaro sputtered on the sip of Sprite he was going for, quickly bringing a hand up to wipe at his lips. Oh, he was a social disaster. Here he was, aspirating soda all over this very attractive stranger who had just complimented his  _ thighs. _ Donghyuck would have killed him.

"I'm sorry," the guy said, grabbing for napkins while he chuckled. "I have no brain-to-mouth filter; I'm so sorry."

Soft napkins were hastily being pressed into Shotaro’s hand while the stranger was trying to hastily dab at the spots on Shotaro’s black shirt. Looking down with wide eyes, Shotaro watched as the foreign hand suddenly stilled in where it was hurriedly trying to sop up the sticky mess on his shirt.  _ His fingers are nice,  _ Shotaro mused.  _ Long and delicate...perfect for a ballerino… _

"I was just...uh…" the unfamiliar guy fumbled. "I thought I would help...but that's obviously really creepy." He let out a mixture between a laugh and a cough as he pulled his hand back.

"It's fine, really," Shotaro said with a chuckle of his own as he wiped at his lips and chin with one of the napkins. "Trust me, weirder things have happened at a party."

"I don't doubt that," the stranger agreed, his tense shoulders relaxing at Shotaro’s casual assurance. He seemed to debate with himself before asking. "What's your name?"

Making sure the last bit of his chin was dry, Shotaro looked up.

"It's Shotaro," he answered. "Shotaro Osaki."

Warm, brown eyes turned wide with surprise. Shotaro tilted his head curiously, wondering why his answer had caused such a look.

"I'm - "

"Sungchan!"

Donghyuck was throwing himself at the stranger's side in a tight hug, nearly knocking them both over with its force.

_ Sungchan. _

_ Oh my god.  _ This was  _ the  _ Sungchan he had just spit up in front of. Shotaro vowed to never go to another one of these stupid parties ever again.

"I missed you," Donghyuck cooed, nuzzling against one of Sungchan's shoulders. The sweetness only lasted a few seconds before he was pulling back and punching the shoulder he had just snuggled against.

"Ow!" Sungchan hissed, pouting and tenderly rubbing at his shoulder.

"Why didn't you text me you were coming out?!" Donghyuck loudly complained. "I mean, I understand if you didn't text Kino, but  _ I thought we were friends!" _

"It was kind of a last minute decision," Sungchan explained. "I didn't really tell anyone until I got here. Not even my manager." That caught Shotaro's attention and it seemed to catch Donghyuck's as well.

"Is everything okay?" Donghyuck asked, his attitude now concerned instead of playfully bratty.

"Aside from my bruised shoulder?" Sungchan joked. "Yeah, I'm fine; everything is fine. I just needed a break."

Donghyuck hummed, studying Sungchan for a moment before letting the issue slide. He allowed a small smile to show.

"Well, I'm glad you're here," his eyes flicked to Shotaro who, truthfully, was just fine being ignored. Especially when Donghyuck's dark eyes glittered with pure, unadulterated mischief. "And I see you've met Shotaro: my roommate and the newest member of Vibe Check."

_ 'You're replacement,'  _ Shotaro thought, fingers tightening on his can of soda. _'_ __Yo_ u left and now here I am.' _

"It didn't click until you said your name," Sungchan said, ignoring Donghyuck in favor of looking at Shotaro. "Chanmi told me you have a TikTok?"

They had talked about him before? Up until recently, Shotaro hadn't heard anything about Sungchan and now here he was: friendly, charming,  _ attractive. _ He suddenly felt like he hadn't stepped through Johnny and Jaehyun's apartment door, but the doorway to some sort of alternate universe.

"He has a ridiculous amount of followers," Donghyuck bragged. "Hundreds of thousands."

"It's not really that import - "

"Pull it up," Sungchan suggested. "Let me see. We can follow each other."

The request made Shotaro's mouth dry up. Normally, he had no problem sharing his dance covers or choreo routines with curious classmates or his dance team. Most of his videos were pieces he had come up with and wanted to implement in a project or a routine anyway, filming when he had inspiration so as to not forget what he pictured in his mind. But showing his account to someone of Sungchan's caliber? Someone who had gotten paid real money - real  _ big  _ money - to shake his ass with the likes of Rihanna?  _ Professionally? _

Still, he had two expectant sets of brown eyes on him and he didn't want to disappoint...or chicken out. Trying to put up an air of nonchalance, Shotaro regretfully pulled his phone out and opened his TikTok app. After pulling up his videos, he passed it to Sungchan. Donghyuck peered over his shoulder as they looked over Shotaro's small claim to internet fame.

"Oh, oh!" Donghyuck exclaimed, finger jabbing at something on Shotaro's phone. "Do that one!"

As soon as Shotaro heard "Ride or Die" play from his phone speakers, he wanted to run. Far away. Preferably another country. His home in Japan sounded like a pretty good option right about now.

"Cute," Sungchan casually commented, not bothering to look up as his thumb swiped across the screen to the next video.

"Isn't he?" Donghyuck cooed, talking as if Shotaro wasn't standing in front of him. "He's like a cute little otter."

If he wasn't blushing before, Shotaro definitely was now. He was always shy and uncomfortable when anyone called him cute or adorable - it felt so weird. Cute was reserved for baby animals and Disney characters. When he swung his hips to Megan Thee Stallion, he wanted to look sexy. Not cute...even if he was wearing a bear ear headband in the video.

"Here," Sungchan said, handing Shotaro back his phone. "I'll add you. Maybe we could link up sometime?"

When Donghyuck looked between them with suggestive eyes, brows ridiculously waggling, Shotaro couldn't decide if he wanted to kill him or kiss him. Exposure like this could bring a lot of good things his way. Connections in the industry were important and Sungchan seemed nice enough.

"There you are!"

The three of them turned to spot Kino with Yanan and Mark in tow. His friend looked unusually concerned, his brows furrowed. "Look, we need to talk. Jessi showed up with her team and - "

"What? Did I miss the memo that the real party was in the kitchen?"

Aside from Sungchan, everyone winced at the sound of the new voice. It was an unfortunately familiar voice: the voice of a dancer with a complex. It should come as no surprise that if Jessi and her dance team were here (appropriately named "Thirst Trap") that Ten Lee would quickly find them all.

Ten Lee was one of the best dancers around with probably just as much formal training and schooling as Shotaro had. Like Shotaro, he was also a foreigner - his native home in Thailand. Normally that would give Shotaro comfort and a sense of solidarity like it did when he met Yanan, but there was absolutely nothing comforting about Ten. He was competitive, confident, intimidating, and just plain terrifying. Plus, he was on a team that was their direct competition.

Donghyuck's lips twisted into a sneer, looking ready to snap off until Mark placed a tentative hand on his forearm. Sometimes Shotaro couldn't understand the dynamic of Mark and his roommate. It was like Mark had the uncanny ability to tame wild, feral children like Donghyuck; he was extremely useful to have on standby in situations such as these.

"That's probably because you weren't invited," Donghyuck grumbled under his breath. Ten gave him a sharp look.

"Polite as always, I see," he quipped before his eyes found Sungchan. Shotaro didn't like the way his eyes lit up, his formerly sour expression soon turning sweet.

"Sungchan," he greeted. "Long time, no see."

Shotaro looked back to Sungchan who politely smiled, raising his soda can up in greeting. "Ten."

They knew each other? Ten was a year ahead of Shotaro - the possibility of him knowing Sungchan wasn’t entirely impossible, it just would have been brief. The dance world was small around Juilliard. Everyone knew someone who knew someone else - 

“I heard through the rumor mill you were back,” Ten paused, taking a long look up and down Sungchan’s body. “You look good.”

There was something about him that just came off as greasy - and Shotaro simply wasn’t a fan. Especially when the dancer’s flattery was cutting into a moment that was supposed to be important. He had just made a royal fool of himself in front of Sungchan, but just as it was being smoothed over Ten swooped in to steal it away.

"So, what are we all talking about?" Ten asked, trying to work his way in as if he was welcome to join their group. He had nerves of steel to completely ignore the looks of dislike and blatant uncomfortableness on everyone's faces. 

Shotaro winced when he saw Kino's jaw tense in annoyance. While he would expect Donghyuck to openly express his dislike (which he currently was), when Kino was visibly irritated, that meant things were pretty bad.

"Just Shotaro's awesome TikTok videos," Donghyuck bragged, hand on his hips and a proud smile on his face.

_ ‘Shit,’  _ Shotaro angrily cursed. He didn't want any part in the messy feud between teams Vibe Check and Thirst Trap. He had gotten by with almost two years of keeping his nose  _ almost  _ clean of the drama - he wanted to  _ keep it  _ that way.

Ten's attention was soon focused on Shotaro. His feline eyes were narrowed as if he was trying to tear down any feeble defenses Shotaro had to get straight to his weaknesses. It wouldn’t take long; he was fearsomely intimidating.

"TikTok, huh?" Ten asked, his button nose slightly tilting up in a show of superiority. "What? You have a couple hundred followers?"

"A couple hundred," Donghyuck interjected.  _ "Thousand." _ Shotaro didn't like the way his eyes glittered with excitement or the way his smug smile tugged up at one corner of his lips. That look meant Hyuck was up for a fight and Shotaro wanted none of it.

"I don't believe you," Ten immediately lamented. "There's no way some little  _ Juilliard  _ student has hundreds and thousands of viewers." His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Prove it."

Shotaro felt his heart thud against his chest. He never  _ asked  _ to be thrown into this mess. Hell, he originally didn't even want to show Sungchan his TikTok. It wasn't a big deal - it was just a hobby. This was all so stupid.

"Go on, Taro," Donghyuck urged, nudging him. "Show him."

Shotaro felt like a deer trapped in the path of a speeding car; he knew he should move or speak or do  _ something _ , but his own fear made him immobile.

"It's Shotaro underscore Osaki," Sungchan offered. 

Eyes wide, Shotaro disbelievingly whipped his head in Sungchan's direction. What the actual fuck? He had known the guy for maybe thirty minutes and he was already throwing Shotaro under the metaphorical bus?

While Ten pulled out his phone - no doubt looking up Shotaro's profile - Sungchan raised his brows as if to say  _ "what?",  _ like he did nothing wrong. It was becoming glaringly obvious just how integrated into Vibe Check's friend group he had been. He was also drawn to trouble.

Only offering an upset shake of his head, Shotaro looked back at Ten. His dark eyes were darting back and forth across his phone screen, the little furrow between his brows deepening the longer he stared.

"Your videos are amateur," Ten eventually concluded, dragging his eyes up from his phone. "You did a couple short choreos and a few dance challenges? What? Did you  _ buy  _ your followers?"

"I didn't  _ buy  _ anything," Shotaro grumbled, shoulders squaring. He was getting really tired of this conversation.

"So he  _ can  _ talk," Ten taunted, stepping closer until he was nearly chest to chest with him. "How about a  _ real  _ challenge, then?"

Shotaro refused to back down even though his fight-or-flight was kicking in, screaming at him to  _ ‘Run, you idiot! Run!’ _ \- he had come too far to be backing out now.

“Name it,” Shotaro bravely agreed. It was like he was having an out-of-body experience at this point. It wasn’t him speaking, but merely watching the show play out from a third-person view. His voice was unwavering and confident (something he definitely  _ was not  _ in any sort of conflict) and he was helpless to stop whatever demon had apparently decided to possess him at the moment.

One of Ten’s meticulously groomed eyebrows quirked up, a sly, devilish smirk turning up one corner of his lips. Shotaro swallowed. That didn’t look good.

“Alright,” Ten decided. “We settle this with a TikTok competition.”

“A what?” Donghyuck interjected. He looked as confused and annoyed as Shotaro felt. A TikTok challenge? What the hell did that mean? Still, Ten didn’t remove his intimidating gaze from Shotaro.

“A TikTok challenge,” he slowly repeated. “We each create a small dance challenge to whatever song we choose. Whoever gets the most recreations of their video by the end of spring break wins.”

“You’re joking,” Shotaro dubiously accused. There was no way Ten was serious. TikTok was something silly Shotaro did for fun. It was a dumb app - there were no circumstances in which doing twenty second dance videos should be taken seriously. None.

“What?” Ten asked, his voice laced with mock-innocence, eyes widening like he was truly surprised. “You afraid of a little competition? Understandable.”

Shotaro grit his teeth, jaw tightening. They really had to do this here? In public? In front of the majority of the student bodies in the nearby area? In front of the mysterious Sungchan? It’s not like he really had much of a choice. Either he backed out and looked like a complete wimp or he saved face and accepted...and dealt with the consequences. Neither option worked in his favor, but he was a member of Vibe Check - his reputation affected their group’s reputation.

Chanmi would kill him if he chickened out.

“Fine, let’s do it,” Shotaro resigned. He was surprised at how strong his voice came out. He was feeling nothing but dread and adrenaline on the inside - a demon really must have been inside him. “One song, one video.”

“What’s the prize?” Kino asked, an unimpressed look on his face.  _ “Bragging rights?” _

At the question, Ten seemed to pause. He apparently hadn’t thought the challenge all the way through. He was the exact opposite of Shotaro - his mouth getting ahead of his brain. This would have been the perfect opportunity to call everything off but unfortunately Shotaro had already fucked up by agreeing, not even knowing what was at stake. He cursed himself.

“Me.”

Both Shotaro and Ten turned. Sungchan had stepped forwards, a carefully crafted expression of confidence on his face. While Shotaro didn’t know him well, he knew him well enough to know his casual disposition wasn’t whatever  _ this  _ was. Their initial meeting was full of smiles and jokes, not this cool front.

_ “You?”  _ Ten incredulously asked, both brows now high up on his elegant forehead. “What do you mean?”

“I have over ten million followers,” Sungchan explained. “Whoever wins can do a dance video with me for my channel and I’ll do a video with them for their own channel. Free publicity and exposure.” He had the audacity to nonchalantly shrug after setting out such an offer on the table.

Shotaro couldn’t help the way his jaw slightly dropped at the offer. That was a pretty big deal. Tem million was a  _ lot  _ of eyes that would be on him if he won. While he didn’t particularly care about being something as ridiculous as a  _ “TikTok celebrity”,  _ notoriety with someone in the business - the business he was interested in - was a huge deal. It would help get Vibe Check more attention, too, which he was sure no one on the team would complain about. More good attention opened up more opportunities for the five of them.

When Sungchan looked back to Shotaro, his expression softened a bit. “Well?” He asked. “What do you say?”

He was directly asking Shotaro. Silently, the ball had somehow ended up in his court. Quickly eyeing his friends who were enthusiastically nodding at him in perfect sync, his mind was made up.

Turning his attention back to Sungchan, he nodded.

“It’s a deal.”

After the words had escaped his lips sealing his fate, he felt his knees weaken. He prayed to any higher power that his adrenaline could last him long enough for the attention to be off of him before his knees visibly knocked. The answer to his frantic prayer came in the form of Sungchan offering him a smile that made him forget all about his legs as his stomach swooped dangerously.

“Great,” Sungchan said. “Shake on it?”

Shotaro stiffly turned to face Ten. The other dancer looked oddly composed. The hellfire behind his eyes had dimmed; still lit, but simmering just beneath the surface instead of at a full blaze. 

Dutifully, Shotaro lifted his hand in a gesture to officially seal their deal. Ten stared at the hand for a moment as if contemplating his options before his own hand darted up. His grip nearly made Shotaro squeak. It was  _ tight. _ Robotically, they shook their joined hands up and down.

“Get ready to lose,” Ten whispered, his words for Shotaro’s ears alone. 

Due to his current company (and sheer  _ terror _ ), Shotaro remained silent. He was raised to be the bigger person. Even though he was free to spread his wings at college in a completely different country, he refused to toss all of his manners and upbringing out the window. He promised himself he wouldn't lose himself at Juilliard, only find himself. He wanted to make good on that vow.

When Ten ended his death grip, Shotaro resisted the strong urge he had to massage some sensation back into his nearly numb fingers. He wasn’t sure he had ever experienced such a violent show of good sportsmanship. 

After their TikTok challenge had been cemented, Shotaro automatically slipped behind Donghyuck, using him as a human shield as his insides went haywire. Ten chose to stick around, picking up conversation with Sungchan. Shotaro wanted to go home. He wanted to return back to their dorm and hide beneath his comforter, free to wallow in his dread or stress cry into a pillow. The last place he wanted to be right now was here: having a mental breakdown while in an apartment full of people.

“Why did you do that?” He hissed next to Donghyuck’s ear. His roommate turned around, his eyes genuinely confused.

“Do...what, exactly?” He asked.

“Brag about my account to  _ Ten!”  _ Shotaro explained in the most aggressive whisper he could muster.

“Oh,” Donghyuck simply stated before giving a careless shrug. “Your account is amazing, Taro. Ten can honestly suck it. Actually, all of Thirst Trap can suck it. They need to be knocked down a peg or two. Divas.”

“That’s really rich coming from you,” Kino scoffed in amusement.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Donghyuck sniffed. “I’m a darling. Right, Mark?”

At being brought into their conversation, Mark sputtered in surprise before settling on an unconvincing “Um…” Kino outright laughed, arm easily linking with Yanan’s. His boyfriend had been spared from the drama that had just unfolded, only having to quietly spectate.

“He has a point though,” Kino mentioned after sobering up. “You’re really talented, Taro. If anyone could actually stand a chance at winning a contest like this, it’s you.”

Still unconvinced, Shotaro pouted, trying to hide himself further behind Donghyuck.

𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥

The sun was out in New York; sky a beautiful bright blue with hardly any clouds. Still, springtime was chilly - the frost always held on for as long as it could this far north in the country. Most students chose to spend spring break at home with their families or on vacation somewhere warm like Miami or Los Angeles.

Shotaro, however, was not either of those types of students. He was spending his spring break on campus, tickets to Japan outrageously expensive this time of year. It worked out okay; his friends were staying on-campus as well and so was this mysterious Sungchan. At least he wouldn't be completely alone.

He was sitting in the empty quad with Donghyuck, his phone set upon on a small tripod. He was leaning back on his haunches, gloved hands resting on his knees. They had been trying to figure out for the past forty-five minutes what Shotaro could do for his TikTok challenge against Ten. 

“Just pick a song that’s trending right now,” Donghyuck suggested from his seat on the concrete, skull braced against the cold wall of one of the short staircases outside. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back. Shotaro instantly felt guilty; he could tell his roommate was getting a massive headache from his indecisiveness.

“I just want this to be original,” Shotaro sighed. “Most trending songs right now already have a challenge.”

"There has to be  _ something  _ that hasn't been done yet," Donghyuck sighed, a gloved hand coming up to cover his eyes from harsh sunlight.

Shotaro let his bottom drop onto the cold concrete with a small  _ 'oof'.  _ His head hurt, he was cold, and he still had a few more classes before spring break officially started. He was irritated that this was even something he had to worry about - he had more pressing issues in the near future - like exams and practicals. He doubted any of his professors would accept a TikTok video as a viable submission.

"Why did you have to talk me up again?" He whined. "I _really_ don't want to do this."

"Ten is always talking mad shit," Donghyuck muttered. "Someone needed to knock him down a peg. Unfortunately you were collateral damage and the only one of us with a healthy TikTok. Mine has been dead for months now."

Shotaro shot him an incredulous look. Donghyuck met it with a neutral, albeit tired look of his own.

“It’s true,” he lamented. “Just think about it, okay? All of Vibe Check will be thinking about it too. You got this.”

Shotaro didn’t feel like he  _ got  _ anything. In fact, he felt stressed. Deadlines were never something he was fond of. Some people seemed to thrive under pressure. While Shotaro was a dance major - a  _ Juilliard _ dance major - and had to improvise a good portion of the time, this was different. This wasn’t a good pressure or even a pressure he thought was worth it. It was just something he unfortunately had no say in.

Looking down at his watch, Donghyuck’s lips pursed.

“And if you don’t call it quits now, you’re going to miss your Modern II class.”

At his words, Shotaro jumped to his feet. He scrambled to grab his phone and dance bag while Donghyuck closed his eyes, slowly leaning back against the brick of the concrete staircase he had propped himself up against.

“Shit,” Shotaro cursed, hurrying to sling his bag over his shoulder before scurrying away towards the dance building. “I’ll - I’ll see you later!”

Blindly lifting his fingers to his temple, Donghyuck gave him a salute.

“Godspeed my little otter,” he tiredly mumbled.

As Shotaro raced to his class, sneakers loudly slapping against the pavement, he made a mental note to check the quad if Donghyuck wasn’t at their dorm after his classes ended. He looked ready to fall over and snooze on the cold concrete. Mark would never forgive him if he let Donghyuck die from hypothermia in the quad. 

But what a way to go. It would be all over the papers and the news - Donghyuck, even in the afterlife, would have  _ loved  _ it. Huffing out a manic laugh as he reached the doors to the school, Shotaro shook his head. He had officially lost his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/andbreatheme)/[twt](https://twitter.com/andbreatheme1)

**Author's Note:**

> [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/andbreatheme)/[twt](https://twitter.com/andbreatheme1)


End file.
